Sato MC75 vs Vader Dual ISDs

Never having messed around with Sato, I decided to give him try. I brought an MC75 Ordnance Cruiser with Bail, ExRacks, APTs, ECM, and Ordnance Experts as my flagships. I supported it with a Toryn Farr Combat Refit, and a pair of Hammerheads with DCaps, OEs and APTs. My fighter cover consisted of Shara/Tycho, a pair of VCXs, Dash, and Han Solo. On the other side of the table was Vader on a Cymoon, an ISD2, and a supporting flotilla with Bossk and Zertik Strom. He had a 1 point bid and took first, which suited me. He chose Opening Salvo. Here is the setup:

With some solid navigating, the ISDs were able to turn to face my incoming line of ships. My squadrons jumped into position as spotters to kick the battle off. Here is the close of round 1:

In the second round, I positioned my MC75 for the Bail Organa strike on the following round. My hammerheads were looking rather vulnerable here at the close of round 2:

In the third round, I hit hard with Bail, but both shots were braced and redirected and the ISD did not go down. My flotilla was dropped along with one of the hammerheads. The last hammerhead also took some pretty serious damage. My squadrons were pitching in and were able to clear out the opposing squadron support without much trouble. Here is the close of round 3:

In round 4, the damaged ISD was able to activate first and pop my hammerhead as well as put some pretty significant damage onto my MC75 before dropping to another double arc (rear and side). Here is the close of round 4:

Thanks to a navigate command, my flagship was able to stay on the board. The Gozanti finally lost its scatter token after avoiding a ton of damage from both the hammerheads earlier and the 75 later. It was even strategically rammed twice by an ISD. Here is the close of round 5:

In the final round, Han Solo was able to activate first and put through the final damage on the Gozanti. This allowed me to activate my MC75 after the Cymoon. Here we are at the close of the game with two hull left on the MC75 (so close):

This one felt like a marvelously close game. I was able to knock out the non-flagship ISD and run for it. I would have squeaked by with a 6-5 I believe had I not gotten a turn 6 volley that triggered APTs and gave me half points on the ISD thanks to Opening Salvo. Still, it was close and a turn 7 would have meant my tabling.

My obstacle placement was a non-factor as the ISDs deployed well away from that cluster. I really wanted to use Bail and turn three is by far the best for predicting locations with my limited expertise, so I placed my fleet right across from the ISDs (in lieu of navigating the rocks) and hoped that their starting angle would prevent them coordinating effectively. I was wrong on that count and my hammerheads ended up being knocked out without delivering any meaningful damage. I feel like Admonition on its own would have been far more effective. The squadrons were pretty solid, but I think that more rogues would have been handy. My flotilla pushed a couple squadrons, but then they were left on their own.

Lessons Learned:

- Hammerheads have a decent chance of surviving a single long range shot from an ISD, but not more.

- Against a pair of ISDs, asteroids really need to be used to break up the formation and prevent coordination. 

Screed Interdictor/Rogues vs Ackbar MC80

For this matchup, I brought Screed in an HIE/DCap Interdictor supported by a Victory I w/ Quads and a token passing Gozanti. My squadrons consisted of Morna Kee, Decimator, Boba, Firespray, Dengar, and Mauler Mithel. I could have traded in Jendon/Steele for greater efficiency, but I planned to keep the Gozanti back behind the heavies, so I’d have few spare squadron commands in range. I think Intel is a must to keep my rogue bombers concentrating fire. Mauler is so great with Dengar and synergizes well with Boba, so I tossed him in too. He doesn’t even need commands to put out that free damage.

My regular sparring partner, Andy, brought an Ackbar fleet with a very heavy MC80 (Engineering teams, redundant shields, ECM, & more), Jaina’s Light TRC, Yavaris titled TRC Nebulon with Draven (Ouch), and Toryn Farr in her usual chariot. He had light squadron cover of just Wedge & Dutch. He also had the greater bid (398 to 399). He wisely chose second player and I picked Minefields, figuring I could move the asteroids around enough to help my cause. Here is the setup after I moved three central asteroids:

I moved my Victory up to take a mine to the face, but had a repair command lined up as well as a token from the Gozanti and was able to repair that damage in the next round. Here is the close of round 1:

The second round continued the trajectory of both fleets with the notable exception of the Draven Yavaris. He moved up to speed three. I believe he wanted to find a position to fire on my bomber ball with his three dice flak. Here is the close of round 2:

In round three, Dutch and Wedge hit my squadrons. Dutch was unable to get the requisite accuracy on Mauler to cancel his scatter and move his activation slider. Wedge was therefore unable to use his ability and their alpha strike ended up being ineffectual. My fighters were able to destroy them both in the squadron phase. Andy accidentally activated his MC80 before his CR90 and was unable to turn in with the rest of the fleet, creating an ugly situation in future rounds. Here is the close of round 3:

In round four, I slowed my fleet to speed 1 and let his ships come to me. My squadrons got some solid damage through onto Yavaris. Here is the close of round 4:

The fifth round was decisive and saw the destruction of both the Nebulon and CR90. Here is the close of round 5:

At this point, the game was effectively over. We played it out with the destruction of his flotilla and a respectable salvo from the MC80 onto the Victory. Game over, with a solid victory for Screed and his fantastic Imperial rogues. The Interdictor proved sufficiently maneuverable as it Engine Teched around the Victory. There were, shockingly, no collisions throughout. I had to keep the Victory on the inside of the turn due to its terrible nav chart, which left my Interdictor vulnerable without Brunson use thanks to being too far from the asteroid. This ended up being a non-factor in the result, but it made me play more conservatively with my tank. 

Lessons Learned:

- Minefields can really mess with deployment and neutralize Brunson, watch for that.

- Rogue bombers provide flexibility and self-sufficiency, even when put into an unfavorable deployment.

Screed Interdictor/Rogues vs Vader ISD & Victory

I recently got an Interdictor for Father’s Day along with an attractive leather carrying pouch for my pipes. While I would love to smoke while playing Armada, it’s decidedly an outdoor thing.

So I ran Screed, who I really like as a cheaper Vader, with an HIE Interdictor, Kallus/Flechette Demo, and a Comms Net flotilla. My squads were all rogue: Morna, Boba, Bossk, IG, Firespray, and Aggressor. On the other side was Vader in a Cymoon, a Vic2, and a Demo. Squad cover consisted of a pair of interceptors. I won the bid and chose second. He picked Superior Positions. I moved the station and a pair of obstacles with my grav shift and set up to do battle while sitting on the station. I missed the setup picture. Here is the close of round 1:

On the second round, we were still positioning. My rogues prepared a warm reception for him. IG88 knocked out the first interceptor in one shot. Here is the close of round 2:

On round three, the enemy Demo jumped into the fray for the triple tap on the Interdictor. The Cymoon moved into a good position to deliver a killing blow while the Vic covered the flank against my Demo. My squadrons delivered some solid damage against Demo. Here is the close of round 3:

Round four began with the Demo, who shot and moved to the far side of the Interdictor (It succumbed to Morna Kee at the close of the round). The Interdictor parked on the station for some mid-combat repairs. My Demo got in close to the ISD. The Vic burned its capacitors and almost popped my Demo. Here is the close of round 4:

Lots of damage cards all around. It was a battle of attrition.

In the final round, the ISD activated first, but couldn’t finish off either the Demo or Interdictor thanks to Brunson and Targeting Scramblers. I then activated my Demo and destroyed the ISD as well as put some damage into the Victory. The Victory ended my Demo, but failed to get the kill on my flagship. My Interdictor and rogues were able to finish it off, ending the game. Morna Kee, my last squadron to activate finished the task. Had she not been able to do the deed, the Victory likely would have been able to finish off my Interdictor the following round, which would have led to a mutual tabling. Even though it was solid win, it was very close to going sideways.

This was a bit of a test fleet for both the Interdictor and all rogue imperial squadrons. Performance of both factors was very strong, especially against such a light squadron screen on the other side.

Lessons Learned:

- The Interdictor is extraordinarily resilient when placed on the station with obstacles close by.

- Morna and Boba as a pair can push through a ton of damage on ships. They make a great team for finishing off damaged foes.

Jerjerrod ISD vs Dodonna Pelta/Yavaris

For this match, I brought a three activation ISD2/Arq/Flotilla fleet with a rogue heavy full squadron compliment consisting of Morna, 2x Firesprays, Zertik, Vader, Mauler, and Dengar. My opponent, Andy, brought a fairly standard Dodonna Pelta/Yavaris list with a TRC90 and a pair of flotillas. His fighter compliment included Luke, Gold, 2x Scurrgs (Proxied), Rogue, and Shara/Tycho. I had a three point bid and chose first. Objective was fighter ambush.

Andy set his fleet up as a slow moving fortress type formation. Here is the setup:

First round was about positioning:

Second round was the start of engagement. I pushed my Arq out front and it took a beating from Luke. My squadrons hit his fighter wing and tied it up which left the three bombers free to hit Yavaris. Here is the close of the second round:

In the third round, Yavaris drifted into medium range of the ISD and was popped along with the TRC90. I lost my Arq in return. Here is the close of the third round:

The fourth round involved the destruction of the Pelta and one of the flotillas, ending the game in my favor. Here is the close of the fourth round:

My fighter wing was tailored to tie up an enemy squadron ball while hitting the enemy ships. It wasn’t designed to win, but to survive long enough to put in some pretty meaningful damage. The benefit to this is that if my opponent doesn’t bring squadrons, it still functions almost flawlessly. I was very pleased with the overall performance of my fighters, even though I didn’t destroy a single enemy squadron. Things may have been a bit different had Jan Ors been on the table. This would have allowed Andy to disengage his fighters from mine and stick closer to his ships or engage my ISD.

Lessons Learned:

- Keep your Arquittens in the rear or flank and utilize it as a finisher or harasser.

- Don’t underestimate the value of intel even if you have a solid AA component. A single turn of lost bombing damage may make the difference.

- Low activation count can be mitigated by a solid squadron compliment, especially with rogue bombers.

Cracken MSU vs Vader Dual ISDs

After a month without playing, Andy and I brought together familiar fleets. I ran a Cracken MSU with Admonition, triple TRC90s with Engine Techs, a pair of slicer tool flotillas and the standard Shara/Tycho fighter support. He brought a Cymoon, ISD2, flotilla, and token fighter wing of IG88 & Saber Squadron (Anti Shara/Tycho tech). With a 19 point bid, I took first and chose his Ion Cannon objective.

I had a significant deployment advantage and so placed my flotillas, fighters and a single CR90 (on left, not visible in the first picture. He had to place his ISDs and I still had three combat ships remaining. These I placed across from the Cymoon, intending to rush forward and eliminate it in isolation. Here is the setup picture:


The first turn progressed as planned. The Cymoon pushed forward at speed three to meet my advance. I moved my fighters up a bit too far and they ended up getting engaged by IG88 with Saber behind. This was a mistake on my part as I was careless and didn’t measure properly. Here is the close of round 1:


In round two, the Cymoon turned to avoid taking a close range shot from Admonition. I moved Admonition in for the double arc. Here is the close of round 2:


In round three, I put fairly significant damage into the Cymoon and positioned myself for the finishing blow. Admonition ended up at close range of the Cymoon rear. I sliced the Cymoon with my right flotilla. Here is the close of round 3:


My first activation in round four yielded me this roll without any re-rolls.


After eliminating the Cymoon with the above roll, I used my CR90s to ram the flotilla to death. My own flotilla on the left side went down to the Ion Cannon and ISD. Here is the close of round 4:


We called the game at that point with a fairly decisive victory to me.

Lessons Learned:

- Better to pair ships up rather than run a 3/1 type pincer. One of my CR90s on the far right never even got to fire.

- Be careful with squad activations so that you don’t get jumped at the close of round 1.

Cracken MSU vs Dodonna Pelta & Yavaris

For this epic showdown, I brought my Cracken MSU list, changing out a few things from my previous game. I dropped the generic A-Wings and added Toryn/Bright Hope on one flotilla and Slicers/Quantum Storm on the other. On the other side of the table, Andy, brought Yavaris, Pelta (With Adar, Dodonna, and a bunch of other upgrades), a CR90B with Dodonna’s Pride, and a pair of flotillas with Toryn and a BCC. His heavy hitters were the fighters. He brought Luke, Gold Squadron, a pair of Scurrgs (Proxied with Lancers), Green Squadron, Rogue Squadron, and a YT2400. I took first and picked his Jamming Field.

After he dropped his first ship, I knew his general deployment location and direction of travel and deployed accordingly in order to get in front of him. Here is the setup:


Full steam ahead for me in round 1:


In the next round, I positioned a pair of TRC90s ahead of him in order to wait for him to jump forward and then pounce to limit my time inside medium range of Yavaris and its double-tapping bombers. My left most TRC90s was not so well positioned and got hit by Luke and a Scurrg after one of my aces went down. Some good rolls brought it down to a single hull remaining. It was hanging on by a hair without doing anything to show for it. Here is the close of round 2:


Round three was eventful. I moved Quantum Storm in to slice the Pelta and scooted the highly damaged CR90 out of the action. Quantum Storm went down and then Admonition moved in on the Pelta and Yavaris. The TRC90s were both able to put some damage on the Pelta and then close in. Here is the close of round 3:


Round four was decisive. I activated Admonition first, who had been burning tokens to negate Luke’s ridiculously good ability (with its own ridiculously good ability). With the side arc and CF command, I managed to finish off the Pelta. I then put some damage down on Yavaris to really soften it up. With the nav token, I jumped to speed four and landed behind the enemy formation. My next activation was the CR90 closest to the board edge, which put some double arc damage through as well. I was then able to finish it off with my CR90 out front after it had activated. We called the game at that point. My ships were out of reach of his remaining squadrons. It ended as a fairly decisive victory for me.

AAR:
First off, the asteroids ended up being something of a non-factor for both of us. The horizontal line nearer the enemy side has been a somewhat useful to me in the past, but it ended up being a non-factor this game. The jamming barrier was placed to the rear of Andy’s formation to discourage me from approaching from that direction. This was something that I had little inclination to do anyway as the forward approach better allows me to get my guns on target. My setup was adequate, though I would have been better off placing the left most CR90 between the flotillas or even on the right flank of my formation.

During the maneuvers, I would have been better served by at least holding that left-most CR90 back at a lower speed. This would have allowed me to save my meager squadron support for another turn rather than having to jump forward in order to try to protect this rather exposed corvette. My quantum storm sacrifice was useful, but the Pelta was still able to use fighter coordination teams to line up the Yavaris double taps - something I had overlooked. I think I would have been better served slicing Yavaris. I maneuvered Admonition and the other two CR90s well enough to get the job done without any serious setbacks. In all, it was a solid success.

Lessons Learned:
- Be very careful when dealing with Yavaris. A strong alpha-strike is the right approach. Hold back until ready to hit it at high speed.
- Try to save Shara/Tycho for the exact right moment, preferably in conjunction with the alpha strike on the carrier(s).

Cracken MSU vs Thrawn ISD & Dual Vics

My usual opponent, Andy, and I decided to check out a local Armada league that had recently begun to meet without us noticing. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but decided to run a Cracken MSU. I had Admonition as the flagship, three TRC90s, and a pair of naked flotillas with Shara/Tycho and a pair of A Wings. My opponent, whom I had just met, was running a Kuat (with Thrawn) and a pair of Vic1s with TIE Fighter support, including Howlrunner. I took first with a large bid and chose his Hyperspace Assault.

During asteroid setup, I tried to arrange things to disrupt his movement while allowing my small bases to move between the rocks with relative ease. I’ve found a horizontal line nearer the opponent side to be a good move when possible. Thanks to the chosen objective, I had a large deployment advantage. My opponent placed his ships on opposite ends of the board. I concentrated my ships on the ISD side and set them up for a pincer movement.

The first round went as planned, my corvettes positioning just outside of long range of the ISD. Admonition was set up to try to catch the speed three Kuat at close range after its activation on the following round. I wasn’t too worried about the Victory in hyperspace as Admonition would be able to take whatever it could throw. Sure enough, the Victory was placed between Admonition and one of my CR90s at the top of round 2. Here is the board state immediately after the Victory was placed at the beginning of round 2:


In round two, I activated my threatened CR90 first to prevent it from being popped by the Victory. It was then a waiting game for the Kuat to move. The Victory put some damage on Admonition, but with Lando and no X17s involved, it was not an issue. Admonition was able to put in a double arc shot at close range and then move line up another close range shot at the top of the following round. The CR90s added their own respectable damage to the mix and I was able to bring the Kuat down to only 2 hull remaining. Meanwhile, my fighters went to work on his. Here is the board state at the close of round 2:


At the beginning of the third round, I activated Admonition and finished off the opposing flagship. I then managed to put some more damage onto the Victory with my CR90s and then lined them up for the attack on the following round. My A-wings did more good work, thanks to the nearby flotilla, which allowed them all to activate before any of the TIEs. Here is the board state at the close of round 3:


During round four, I finished off the left Victory and moved into position to begin work on the last. My A-Wings finished off his fighter cover. At this point we called it. It was a bit of a bloodbath.

AAR:
In review, my high-activation, maneuverable, long-range fleet was ideally suited to deal with my opponent’s low activation, ponderous, short-range fleet. My asteroid placement was reasonably effective, forcing the enemy to deploy and move in a predictable way without affecting my own ships. My deployment advantage was also huge. After the Victory and ISD were placed apart, a blunder on the part of the enemy, I prioritized and placed my ships well. The whole operation was smooth and the only notable error would be the maneuver at the top of turn 2 of my CR90. Had I turned the other way, I would have been able to hit one of the Victories by turn 4. My fighter cover did good work racking up points without taking any losses. I pulled Tycho out on turn three with a single hull left.

Lessons Learned:
- When executing a post-attack maneuver, consider the next target, even if it may be a round or two before engaging.